Australia
November 8, 2019
Pacific Seeds, NSW based Sales Manager Richard Madden.
Large scale canola seed treatment trials using SALTRO DUO®, have demonstrated outstanding control of key seedling diseases, resulting in a stronger more vigorous establishment.
Pacific Seeds partnered with Syngenta in trials where SALTRO DUO showed excellent activity against blackleg, rhizoctonia and pythium, when compared to the market standard, Jockey Stayer.
“SALTRO DUO has certainly impressed in the trails that Pacific Seeds and Syngenta have partnered in delivering. This is an exciting step forward for the canola industry, helping to overcome blackleg resistance,” Pacific Seeds, NSW based Sales Manager Richard Madden said.
Growers have previously used MAXIM XL® which has provided excellent control of rhizoctonia and Pythium. By packaging it with the new SDHI chemistry to control blackleg, Syngenta has created SALTRO DUO*.
| Frequently Asked Questions: SALTRO DUO
Blackleg is caused by the fungus Leptosphaeria maclans survives on crop residue over summer, releasing spores in humid conditions at planting, which can travel large distances to land on seedlings. While secondary infection can occur through the season it is this early infection that can often lead to stem cankers and yield losses of up to 50 per cent.
A best-practice management strategy should include crop rotations, selection of resistant varieties and use of a targeted seed treatment.
“SALTRO DUO is certainly providing an increased level of protection against early blackleg infection. It appears that the increased protection through the SDHI chemistry is allowing the crop to develop at a more rapid rate, growing through that early period where blackleg can cause early leaf necrosis,” Richard said.
The trials have compared SALTRO DUO to existing treatments in the market, as part of a commercially focused cropping program that also included CRUISER® OPTI for pest control.
With SALTRO DUO treated seed Richard said the growth and development of leaf biomass was quite noticeable in the early growth stages - driving canola’s potential to establish higher yields.
“During the 2019 season, in field-based trials at Grenfell, Cootamundra and Yerong Creek, it was observed that seed treated with SALTRO DUO, was clearly growing more quickly in the one-to-three leaf stage than the MAXIM XL treatment. There were significantly fewer blackleg leaf lesions recorded across the sites,” Richard said.
“Larger, healthier plants develop a bigger root system, and build more biomass, which helps target higher yields. That’s obviously of benefit to growers and increases crop competition (against weeds).”
Pacific Seeds and Syngenta have been working closely for over a decade in seed treatment technologies and SALTRO DUO is the next step.
“Pacific Seeds has tested SALTRO DUO extensively, for both seed safety in storage, and in field-based trials where we’ve seen no impacts on crop safety; growers should have confidence in the product,” Richard said.
“We are confident in the science that Syngenta is bringing to the market. Blackleg disease is a significant and ongoing problem for canola growers, and to have a new mode of fungicide technology available for seed treatment gives canola the best start possible.”
*An application for the registration of SALTRO DUO was under evaluation by the APVMA at the time this article was prepared.
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